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All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner

Submitted by Joy on July 10, 2014 - 10:31am

If you've read Jennifer Weiner's books before and are expecting hilarious, witty, easy-breezy reading, then this book will be a surprise. Although still trademarked with her sly wit, reading a novel about an upper class woman spiraling into drug addiction is not for the faint of heart. In many other authors’ hands, this kind of subject matter easily could become preachy or heavy handed, but it truly is neither. Allison Weiss has a pretty darn good life--a beautiful (but high maintenance) 5 year old daughter, a husband who adores her (but works pretty long hours), and loving parents, even if one of them just got diagnosed with Alzheimer's. When Allison throws her back out at the gym, her doctor prescribes Percocet, and the blissful feeling of relief from life's pressures causes Allison to seek out those same feelings again and again. Told in the intimate first person, the reader senses the anxiety and strain that Allison faces that leads to her downfall. This novel is a good reminder that addiction can happen to anyone, but it's rarely told so succinctly and in a relate-able way. ~Joy